Twisted Apple Salad

“There was no way this was going to work,” I thought, as I pressed my thumbnail into the apple, “I don’t care what she said!” I continued scoring the apple around the middle, however, persevering despite my lack of belief; after all, what better time than recess for carrying out ridiculous experiments? When I was satisfied that the score around the middle of the fat apple was good enough—and I couldn’t be criticized for half-hearted effort—I gripped the top in one hand, the bottom in the other, and gave it a mighty twist. Crack! I looked down at my hands, each palming a separate half! After a moment of astonishment, there was nothing left to do, really, except wonder at the usefulness of such an application.

I was a bit trepidatious when taking the first bite of this salad. I really had no idea whether it would work. I had never had kohlrabi, and never tasted apple with beetroot, and the dressing was a concoction purely from my mind. My mom said one of the best salads she’d ever had was with cabbage and apple, with a peanut dressing. That sounded like an interesting addition to me; however, I didn’t have peanuts or peanut butter, and didn’t want to trek out into the wet snow, so I opted for tahini instead. I already wanted to use horseradish, had no idea if it would go with the tahini, but I didn’t want to give it up. I’m glad I didn’t. When I tasted the completed salad, I said to my empty apartment, “That’s actually really good!” It was so unusual and flavorful and, well, a bit twisted! The sourness of the Granny Smith, the sweetness of the kohlrabi, and the earthiness of the beetroot are all enhanced by the sharpness of the horseradish. And it’s all brought together by the smooth tahini. Yum. I hope you try it.